Cricket Valley Energy Center (CVEC) is a 1.1GW natural gas-fired power plant developed in Dover, New York, US. The facility is the most efficient combined cycle power plant in the state.
Cricket Valley Energy Center LLC, an affiliate of Advanced Power, developed the project at a cost of $1.58bn. The groundbreaking ceremony for the project took place in June 2017, while its commercial operation started in April 2020. The project can produce electricity sufficient to power more than one million homes in the Hudson Valley. It created more than 1,100 jobs during the peak construction phase and the plant will support 25 permanent positions for its operations.
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Cricket Valley Energy Center location
Located at 2241 Route 22, the plant extends over 193 acres and has the advantage of existing energy infrastructure such as electric power lines and a natural gas pipeline.
The facility is Advanced Power’s second major electric generating facility in the US, the first being the Carroll County Energy Centre in Ohio.
Cricket Valley Energy Center details
The CVEC is powered by GE’s engineered equipment package comprising three 7F.05 gas turbines, three steam turbines and three heat recovery steam generators (HRSG) operating in combined-cycle mode.
Each combustion turbine produces approximately 209MW of electric power at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard conditions.
The HRSG comprises a natural gas-fired duct burner (supplemental firing system) to allow for additional electrical production during periods of high electricity demand. A low NOx natural gas-fired auxiliary boiler is installed to keep the HRSGs warm during periods of a shutdown and provides sealing steam to the steam turbine during start-ups.
The power plant is also equipped with four 3MW diesel-fired black start generators to re-start the facility’s combustion turbines in the event of a total power loss. State-of-the-art control systems along with fire detection alarms and suppression mechanisms are also installed.
The project receives natural gas from the nearby Iroquois natural gas pipeline through a 500ft-long, 12in diameter natural gas pipeline.
Financing for Cricket Valley Energy Center
An investors group comprising Advanced Power, JERA, TIAA Investments, BlackRock Financial Management, Development Bank of Japan and NongHyup Financial Group are providing $709m in equity for the project.
A consortium of companies and institutions, including GE Energy Financial Services, BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank and Bank of America is providing $875m debt facility for the project.
The debtor’s group also includes CIT BANK, Industrial Bank of Korea, Shinhan Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, NongHyup Financial Group, National Australia Bank, Siemens Financial Services and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.
Power transmission
The power generated by the CVEC is sold to the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) energy market through an interconnection with Consolidated Edison Company of New York’s (ConEd) transmission network.
A switchyard and substation, incorporating gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), is installed onsite to connect to the existing ConEd 345kV Line 398 transmission line. The Cricket Valley substation transmits power to the ConEd substation in Pleasant Valley through a new 700ft transmission line.
The new line is located next to the existing 345kV Line 398 inside the 14.6-mile (23.5km) ConEd right-of-way. The cables of a 3.4-mile (5.47km) segment of Line 398 were also replaced as part of the project.
Contractors involved
Bechtel was awarded an engineering, procurement and construction contract for the project.
Bechtel sub-contracted GE to supply the equipment package, including gas turbines, steam turbines, HRSG and other ancillary equipment. The contract includes a multi-year services agreement for continued maintenance, including three major inspections of the power generation equipment.
